David Marriott

furniture sculptor and props artist

I studied three-dimensional design at Middlesex University, specializing in furniture design. The first two years after graduation were spent designing and making one off pieces, for various clients, out of a small workshop in the East End of London. After the ‘big bang ‘ stock market explosion ‘ the quaint, creative backwater of Shoreditch, became the epicenter of the biggest property boom of the century. The end result being the eviction of our poor souls. I took the opportunity to satisfy my wanderlust, and took off for a sojourn. After a time spent travelling Asia, I came to Australia to settle. A spell working in the theatre making props followed by a stint model making for, were my introduction to working life down under. The present studio was started in the second year of my residence, and gradually took over my life. The main area of my work is in the advertising industry, designing and making of models and sets, for both stills and television. The jobs are many and varied, as are the materials used to achieve the required effect. Wood, metal, plastic, leather, and all manner of synthetic resins and silicones are all used, usually in bizarre combinations. The most interesting part of the process is working out how to make the thing in question.

The other area of my work is art direction for television commercials. Over the last few years I have directed about fifteen TVC’s, none of them bigger than Ben Hur, but put side to side amount to a body of work on the show reel. This aspect is for me the most rewarding, as the artistic control is in my hands, and although having a guideline or brief to stick to, there is room for interpretation. Choosing colours, and giving life to a set, creating the illusion of reality, is most satisfying.

Most of the things I make are lies, whether it be a piece of cheese, crafted in silicon, or a rhino made of fibreglass, it is all false. The old saying, the camera never lies, has in this age of computer enhancing, never been further from the truth. Now that sets and models can be created and animated by computer, it seems that the days of model makers and set builders may be numbered. As in many other industries, furniture making for one, the machines have largely replaced the craftsmen, which I feel is a sad state of affairs.